Why Is Diesel More Expensive Than Petrol? The 2026 Diesel–Gasoline Spread Explained

Why is diesel more expensive than petrol in 2026?

Diesel and petrol come from the same barrel of crude, but they serve different markets. Diesel moves lorries, ships, farm machinery and much of industry. Petrol mostly fuels private cars. When the supply of one tightens faster than the other, their prices split.

That is what happened in 2026. Before the conflict that began on 28 February, EU diesel was cheaper than petrol: €1.59 a litre against €1.64 on 23 February ^[1]. The order flipped on 9 March, when diesel jumped to €1.86 and petrol to €1.77 ^[1]. Diesel has been dearer than petrol in every weekly bulletin since 20 July ^[3].

In the United States, diesel has cost more than regular gasoline almost continuously since September 2004, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) ^[18]. What is new in 2026 is the size of the gap.

How wide is the diesel–petrol gap in Europe and the US?

In the EU, diesel averaged €2.146 a litre on 26 October and petrol €1.954, a gap of 19.2 cents ^[2,3]. On a 50-litre tank that is €9.60 more for diesel ^[3]. The widest gap since records began in 2005 was 24.6 cents on 13 April 2026 ^[3]. The previous widest, before this year, was 17.8 cents on 24 October 2022 ^[3].

The premium varies by country. Diesel costs more than petrol in 24 of the 27 member states ^[3]. The largest gaps are in Sweden, at 47.7 cents, Belgium, at 42.2 cents, and Austria, at 36.0 cents ^[3]. Malta, Denmark and Greece are the exceptions, where petrol is dearer ^[3]. In France, diesel averaged €2.330 a litre in the week of 5 October, 20.6 cents above E10 petrol ^[6].

In the United States, retail diesel averaged $6.352 a gallon on 26 October and regular gasoline $4.269 ^[7]. By Alupetra's calculation from EIA weekly data, that $2.08 gap is the widest in the series, which starts in 1994 ^[8,9]. The previous high was about $1.61 in late November 2022 ^[8,9].

The annual averages show how unusual this is. The gap averaged under 50 cents a gallon in most years from 2015 to 2025. It rose to about $1.04 in 2022 and stands at about $1.26 so far in 2026 ^[8,9].

What do crack spreads say about the diesel premium?

A crack spread is the margin between a refined product and the crude it is made from. It is the clearest sign of which fuel is scarce. In 2026 the diesel crack has run far ahead of the gasoline crack.

In Europe, diesel crack spreads were above $70 a barrel at the time of the European Central Bank's (ECB) September meeting. That was "more than three times their pre-war level," according to the meeting's account ^[14]. European diesel futures hit a record premium of $78.91 a barrel over Brent on 1 September ^[12]. Gasoline margins were also high: the Eurobob premium reached about $62.07, just below its June 2022 record of $62.10 ^[12]. Earlier, in July, diesel margins topped $60 while gasoline traded at a four-year high of $41 ^[13].

The US gap is wider. By Alupetra's calculation from EIA spot prices, the New York Harbor diesel crack against West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude averaged about $111 a barrel in September. The gasoline crack averaged about $47 ^[10]. Global Oil Shock, using the same EIA data, puts the September 3-2-1 crack at $68.23, the highest monthly value since June 2006 ^[11].

The two cracks moved further apart in October. The gasoline crack fell to about $27 in the month to date, while diesel stayed near $108 ^[10]. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says diesel benchmarks reached records above $200 a barrel in September and remain nearly double crude ^[16].

Why has diesel supply been hit harder than gasoline?

The Gulf was a large diesel exporter. The IEA estimates that Middle East refined product exports averaged 1.9 million barrels a day (mb/d) in September. Before the war they were 4.7 mb/d ^[15]. Disruptions in the Middle East and Russia removed about 1.3 mb/d of diesel and gasoil from the market year on year ^[15].

Russia is the second factor. Its diesel export ban was due to expire on 31 October. On 29 October Reuters reported, citing two sources, that it will run to the end of 2026 ^[17]. Export quotas are set to rise to 2 million tonnes in November from 0.5 million tonnes in October ^[17]. The Banque de France has linked tighter Russian supply to Ukrainian attacks on refineries and export facilities, according to prix-carburant.eu ^[6].

Demand adds to the strain. Diesel use changes little with price because it is tied to freight, shipping and agriculture ^[6]. The EIA notes that demand for distillates is high in Europe, China, India and the US ^[18]. The IEA expects lost diesel stocks to be rebuilt only in the second half of 2027 ^[16].

How does winter heating demand affect diesel prices?

Heating oil and diesel are both middle distillates, made in the same refinery units. The EIA says demand for heating oil affects diesel prices in autumn and winter, and that both can be strained when that demand rises ^[20]. Petrol has no comparable heating use.

This is why the gap often widens from October. In 2022 the US diesel crack peaked at about $95 a barrel in October, by Alupetra's calculation ^[10]. The EU gap reached its 2022 high on 24 October ^[3]. The IEA warned on 14 October that delivered diesel prices in Europe, Africa and Latin America "could rise again" ^[16].

How do taxes change the diesel–petrol gap?

Taxes work in opposite directions in Europe and the US. In the EU, diesel carries less tax per litre than petrol in most countries. Before tax, the EU average diesel premium was 28.8 cents a litre on 26 October; at the pump it was 19.2 cents ^[3]. Lower taxes on diesel, worth 9.6 cents a litre on average, close part of the gap ^[3]. Tax made up 37.0% of the diesel price and 45.5% of the petrol price ^[4].

National rules differ. The EU minimum excise is €0.33 a litre for diesel and €0.359 for petrol ^[5]. Greece charges €0.41 on diesel against €0.70 on petrol, and the Netherlands €0.55 against €0.84 ^[5]. Belgium taxes both at €0.600, while Lithuania's diesel excise is higher than its petrol duty ^[4,5]. In France, the historic tax advantage for diesel has been narrowed by gradual alignment, according to prix-carburant.eu ^[6].

The US does the reverse. The federal excise on on-road diesel is 24.40 cents a gallon, six cents more than on gasoline ^[18,19]. State taxes averaged 35.50 cents on diesel and 33.27 cents on gasoline in January 2026 ^[19]. Taxes therefore add roughly eight cents to the diesel premium, by a simple sum of those averages ^[19].

What to watch

• Russia's November order. A government order expected in early November should set the new export limits and exemptions ^[17].
• IEA stock releases. Members agreed to speed up releases of about 100 million barrels, including more than 20 million barrels of diesel ^[15].
• Gulf product exports. Any recovery from 1.9 mb/d would return diesel and other products to the market ^[15].
• Winter weather. Cold spells in Europe and the US Northeast lift heating oil demand, which competes with diesel ^[20].
• Tax changes. Sweden's temporary CO₂ tax cut runs until 30 November, and Germany cut its energy tax from 1 October ^[3,5].

Alupetra trades diesel, gasoline and other refined products and follows their prices and crack spreads every day.